The chants of the Mayan priest, the aroma of copal incense, an offering of rum and the flickering light of a thousand candles…all to appease the aluxes or guardian spirits of the cornfield, the Yucatán is a land of mystery and ancient beliefs. Meet the Maya, and discover a way of life that has endured for a millennium and more.
There’s a fiesta somewhere in Mexico every day of the year and the Yucatán is no exception. Every village has its own patron saint and the saint’s day is celebrated with processions, masses, a fair and a vaquería or fiesta featuring a feast, bullfights, music and traditional folk dances. Then there are annual events such as Christmas, Epiphany, Candlemass, Carnival, Lent, Easter and All Saints and All Souls Day, known in other parts of Mexico as the Day of the Dead and in Yucatán as Hanal Pixaan. During Hanal Pixaan families hold candlelit graveside vigils and erect altars that are laden with flowers, photos of the deceased and offerings of food and drink such as mucbil pollo, a chicken and corn tamale and balche, a fermented honey drink.
When you are exploring the highways and byways of the Yucatán, you may meet local craftsmen and women and have the chance to watch them work. The following are craft communities:
Dzitya
Wood carvers in Dzitya, a village north of Mérida, craft bowls, plates and even furniture from guayacán, a very hard native wood
Ticul
The state’s pottery center for centuries: look for plates, urns, planters and replicas of ancient Mayan statuettes. Leather shoes, belts and bags are also produced in Ticul
Maní
Mayan women in villages throughout the Peninsula make and embroider their own dresses and some also sell their wares. Here in Maní you can visit a workshop run by local seamstresses who produce dresses, blouses, baby garments, tablecloths, serviettes, samplers and even traditional Yucatecan wedding dresses.
Izamal
Look out for henequen crafts such as mats, bags, baskets and silver earrings made from the spines that tip the leaves.
Valladolid
Hammocks, embroidered dresses and blouses – even Barbie size garments - and filigree jewelry are made in the Valladolid area.
